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" I do wish
they would have added a couple of lower-detail control schemes for casual
players, but casual players was obviously not their intended market. "

&nbsp Title: UFC Undisputed by THQ

&nbsp Format: Xbox 360 MMA Fighter

&nbsp Reviewing Monkey: Mojo Jojo

&nbsp The Hype: It's been a healthy number of
years since the last under-whelming UFC game, and in that time the promotion,
and the sport, has grown into an absolute behemoth. But, as any veteran gamer
will tell you, there are a lot of good reasons Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) has
never been well represented in video games. So is all this new money and good
will the UFC has earned enough to convert the franchise into a hit? Read on,
fellow monkey, and find out.

&nbsp What This Monkey Thought...

&nbsp Graphics: It's obvious from the first
time that you pick up Undisputed that developer Yuke was focused more on accurately
representing the UFC's many notable stars than anything else--though much of
that time could have been better spent bumping the level of the raw graphics
up instead. While, yes, Forest Griffin and Quinton Jackson and George St. Pierre
all look fantastic, there is an awful lot missing that I actually care a lot
more about. The models, for example, don't show squat for realistic damage as
the fight progress, which I think should have been an important feature, nor
do the animations reflect to-be-thrown attacks accurately enough to allow you
to counter as effectively as I'd like.
Still, all that said, the persona depictions are
damned impressive...and the one thing that tends to be near flawless is the
collision system, and Undisputed may have the least amount of clipping of any
fighting game I've seen. 3.5 out of 5

&nbsp Playability: As a rule, fighting games
fall into two camps: simple games that tend to favor button mashing and complicated
games that require serious knowledge of either intricate controls or lengthy
combos. Undisputed is definitely the latter, and may go down as the single-most
complicated fighting game I've ever played. It uses, in short, every damned
button on the controller, and accents them by using the analog sticks as "shift"
buttons, which change the effect of the other buttons depending on the direction
they're pushed. It is not, in any way, a "pick up and play" game, and button
mashers will get absolutely and completely trounced by anyone who has put in
the several hours required to really learn how the system works.
Which is not, it should be noted, necessarily
a bad thing. MMA is a complicated sport involving a number of ornate aspects
and any game that is really doing it justice should require somewhere around
this level of detail. That said, it isn't for everyone, and about half of the
monkeys we invited into the offices to play got frustrated and gave up after
about an hour.
So only pick up Undisputed if you're willing to
put in the time...but if you are, you'll be rewarded with a game that will let
you strategize and fight quite a bit like a real MMA fighter. You can choose
to try and neutralize your opponent by exploiting their weakness--taking a striker
to the ground or keeping a grappler at a distance. You can work the long game
with kicks, the short game with clinches, and both the guard and the mount on
the ground. Or, hell, if you want you can relive Griffin vs. Bonnar and just
stand toe to toe with the other guy and hope he collapses before you do. But,
regardless of how you choose to play, you should have fun with the games intricate
nature and responsive controls.
Assuming you get past the very steep learning
curve, of course. 4.5 out of 5

&nbsp Story and Drama: So the good news is that
the game has a very elaborate story mode that takes you from making a custom
rookie through a seven-year run in the octagon. During that time you will go
to training camps, spar, develop your skills, and ultimately earn sponsors by
kicking ass against the UFC's most notable notables.
The bad news is that much of that in practice,
especially the training camps and sponsor crap, is the fighting game equivalent
of farming experience by killing rats in the middle of the forest. It is tedious
to the point of being aggravating, and I really wish you could have skipped
it. But, sadly, if you want to stat-up your fighter, off to the boxing camp
you go so that you can waste your quality gaming time with pointless repetition.
3 out of 5

&nbsp Multiplayer and Replayability: Though
the AI is quite serviceable, and the various difficulty levels keep things entertaining,
Undisputed is unquestionably at its best when you take on other players. Unfortunately,
it is also one of the more laggy on-line games I've played, and so that means
you'll be bringing your buddies into the room with you to do it.
And that's a real problem, given how elaborate
the controls are. It took no time for us to divide our test group into those
who "suck" and those who "don't," and those who did didn't want to have anything
to do with those who didn't. Which, in case I lost you there, means your friends
are only going to want to play against you if they, too, have had enough time
behind the stick to get good. Otherwise, once you've mastered the controls,
you'll only be playing with yourself. 3.5 out of 5

&nbsp The Verdict:

All in all, Undisputed really is
a solid game. The graphics are passable, the controls are frustrating
but intricate, and the career mode is fun overall. I do wish they would
have added a couple of lower-detail control schemes for casual players,
but casual players was obviously not their intended market.

&nbsp The Good: Detailed controls give you a
real hand in the action.

&nbsp The Bad: Controls will be too detailed
for many, and the lack of relevant model detail is frustrating.

&nbsp The Overall Ugly: MMA fans, give it a
shot. But those unfamiliar with the sport or looking for a casual experience
should pass.